The impact of Social Media regarding the employment process

The impact of Social Media regarding the employment process

How does my social media influence my career development?

It takes just seven seconds to create a first impression, what will yours be? Polite, enthusiastic and dedicated? Great! Now what if employers were to check your social media beforehand, would you be represented in the same way?

How much do employees see?

Employers often know where you went on holiday, your pets name and what you had for tea last night- it’s all available on social media. In the age of information sharing, you can be found on the internet in an instance, and “47% of employers check social networking sites to screen prospective employees immediately after receiving their job application”, with Facebook being the main source (76%). Employers seek individuals who fit the team and workplace culture to ensure they are positively represented both in and outside of the workplace; viewing candidate’s social media profiles enables them to establish ones ‘true’ personality.

Remember, once you’ve hit the ‘share’ button, your words and pictures are in the public domain and can be traced back to you, so ensure it’s not something you’ll later regret! While employees do understand you’re entitled to a personal life, one should consider how you wish to be perceived before sharing a drunken picture on Instagram or engaging with an argument on Facebook, as it’s possible such actions may denote undesirable traits.

How can I alter my social media content to ensure it’s attractive to employees?

Try to avoid:

Posting during work hours

Complaining about your boss/workplace

Excessive swearing

Voicing strong controversial opinions

Personal attacks

Excessive alcohol related content

Drug related content

Top Tips to ensure your social media is employee friendly:

Think before you post

Adjust your privacy settings

Clean up your digital footprint – although unlikely, its possible old content may negatively impact you in the future, so deleting anything that could be deemed as inappropriate will do no harm.

Check your tagged photos

Use your common sense!

Make sure your social media accounts accurately reflect your personality to ensure there are no nasty surprises throughout your employment process!